Mitt Romney on Local Government Ethics
<br>Read all about it! Local government ethics becomes a presidential
campaign issue! Yes, you heard that right. <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57520009-503544/romney-teacher-c…; target="”_blank”">According
to CBS News</a>, this very day presidential candidate Mitt Romney
said "the person sitting across the table from [a teachers union]
should not have received the largest campaign contribution from the
teachers union themselves ... [It's] an extraordinary conflict of
interest and something that should be addressed."<br>
<br>
Okay then, let's address it.<br>
<br>
If teachers unions should not be
allowed to give sizeable contributions to local government officials because
they have dealings with them, then anyone who has dealings with
local government officials should not be allowed to give them
sizeable contributions. This includes contractors and their associations,
consultants, lobbyists, those seeking grants and permits, attorneys
and other professionals who do work for a local government or
represent clients before it, and local government employees and
their unions.<br>
<br>
Further, if teachers unions create a conflict when they give
contributions, they create exactly the same conflict when they spend
money independently in support of or against local government
candidates. Ditto all the others in the above list.<br>
<br>
In other words, the great majority of money spent on local elections
creates conflicts of interest. Remove all of this money from local
elections, and you pretty much have to establish public financing of
elections, or only wealthy candidates and candidates with strong
party support have a chance of getting themselves known, unless
they're running in a district small enough to cover door-to-door.<br>
<br>
I agree completely with Mr. Romney, although I doubt he agrees with
the implications of what he said, as I've presented them. But it's
nice that local government ethics shone for a moment with a tiny sliver of the
presidential limelight.<br>
<br>
Robert Wechsler<br>
Director of Research-Retired, City Ethics<br>
<br>
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